Bellator 67: What to Watch For

After taking a week off,
Bellator Fighting Championships returns to MTV2 on Friday with
Bellator 67. Emanating from Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, the
event marks the Chicago-based promotion’s second trip to Canada
during its ongoing sixth season. While this card does not hold the
same promise on paper as its predecessor, it still has the
potential to please.

Here is what to watch for at Bellator 67:

Chandler the Champ

Bellator lightweight champion Michael
Chandler has one hell of an act to follow.

The Season 4 tournament winner’s last in-cage appearance came in
November, when he submitted Eddie
Alvarez to capture the world title in a “Fight of the Year”
contender at Bellator 58. Now, Chandler returns to the Bellator
cage for a non-title contest against 37-year-old
UFC and
Pride Fighting Championships veteran Akihiro
Gono.

While it may appear Chandler has little pressure on him leading up
to this non-title affair, the perceived lack of heat could work
against the American if he is not careful, despite Gono being
regarded by most as a clear drop off in competition in comparison
to Alvarez. It appears the odds are long against the respected
Japanese veteran pulling off an upset against the hard-punching
wrestler, which could provide him with some opportunities to be
effective if the champion relaxes.

Will Chandler walk into the cage with the same killer instinct he
used to defeat Alvarez and win the title, or will Gono take
advantage of his underdog status and catch the titleholder off
guard?

Saunders’ Second Chance Continues

Ben
Saunders’ second attempt at qualifying for a welterweight title
shot will be a challenging one if his quarterfinal contest with
Raul
Amaya is a sign of things to come.

After fighting his way to the final of Bellator’s Season 5
tournament, Saunders found himself on the receiving end of Douglas
Lima’s power punching at Bellator 57, falling by knockout to
“The Phenom” and failing in his inaugural effort to capture
Bellator gold.

Back for another taste in Season 6, “Killa B” took control of his
quarterfinal bout with Amaya in the early going, but “Smash Mode”
proved resilient, fighting tooth-and-nail until the final bell.
While Saunders was awarded a well-deserved unanimous decision, one
must wonder how much that bout took out of him, especially when
considering the man he faces in the semifinals.

Welterweight Beast or Burden?

Keith
Mills

Baker seeks Bellator gold.

Brian Baker may have earned a win in his welterweight debut, but it
was not pretty.

Taking on hard-hitting Brazilian CarlosAlexandre
Pereira, neither “The Beast” nor “Indio” lived up to the
fight’s buildup as a probable slugfest. At a listed 6-foot-3, Baker
was already lanky for a middleweight, and the cut to 170 pounds has
only emphasized that trait. He appeared to have a difficult time in
gauging his range for much of his bout with Pereira and was unable
to let his hands fly.

Now facing an equally wiry opponent, will Baker look more
comfortable at welterweight in his second go-around, or will
Saunders’ wealth of experience in the weight class prove too much
for “The Beast” to overcome?

‘The Real Deal’

Ryan
Ford could prove to be a valuable commodity for Bellator
depending on how he performs in his promotional debut. Ford is
well-known in his home country of Canada but has received limited
exposure in the United States due to travel restraints placed on
him related to a 2003 arrest.

Despite appearing on HDNet as a
Maximum Fighting Championship talent, Ford will likely be an
unfamiliar face for many tuning in to MTV2. Ford should seize the
opportunity to make a good first impression in his inaugural effort
with an American organization. While it is unclear if Ford will
ever compete in a Bellator tournament due to his aforementioned
travel limitations, he could become a main card staple for the
promotion as a steady draw north of the U.S. border.

Currently standing in the way of that potential situation is
Luis
Santos, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who fought his way to
the semifinals of Bellator’s fifth-season tournament, only to be
submitted by Saunders and have his path to a title shot derailed.
“Sapo” possesses solid takedowns and a potent top game but should
be at a disadvantage if he spends too much time in Ford’s range
while standing.

Will Ford impress in his Bellator debut, or will Santos make a case
for his inclusion in Bellator’s next welterweight tournament?